Crown Princess Victoria recently shared photos of Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar ready to celebrate St Lucia’s Day on Thursday, 13 December 2018.

St Lucia Day is a big deal in Sweden. Children dress up as Lucia (wearing a white dress and a wreath of candles on her head), maidens, gnomes (tomtar), gingerbread men and ‘star boys’ (‘stjärngossar’).

Girls and young women sing Christmas songs during the early hours at schools, businesses or churches.

Nobel Prize winners are said to be given a ‘wakey-wakey’ call in their hotel rooms.

Participants eat traditional saffron-flavoured Lucia buns (lussekatter).

Who Is St Lucia?

Lucia (or Lucy) was a martyr from Syracuse, Sicily, who died in 304 AD.

According to legend, she helped persecuted Christians who were hiding in catacombs underneath Rome.

She wore candles on her head to free up her hands so she could carry more food and other provisions.